The event will feature Halloween-type parties at each of the 10 participating establishments where visitors will find food, treats, prizes, games, raffles, live music and surprises.
WESTFIELD - A downtown restaurant and pub tour is nothing new in Westfield, but for the first time the event will celebrate the season with participants encouraged to dress in Halloween costumes.
Westfield’s Haunted Harvest Restaurant and Pub Tour on Saturday will feature Halloween-type parties at each of the 10 participating establishments where visitors will find food, treats, prizes, games, raffles, live music and surprises, organizers said.
For example, those registering at the Maple Leaf will find a Mardi Gras theme. A zombie party will be held at Shenanigans, while Mina’s Wine and Spirits will host Arabian Nights.
Lisa G. McMahon, executive director of the Westfield Business Improvement District, and Robert Plasse, president of Westfield on Weekends, have partnered their organizations once again to bring the event downtown in an effort to promote local business and introduce visitors to the city.
“I love that everyone who comes out gets to visit the gems of Westfield’s downtown life,” Plasse said. “It’s great to see people on the street having a good time.”
Past pub tours featured themes such as the spring’s Kentucky Derby, but the costumed Haunted Harvest, Plasse said, was an idea born of suggestion.
“It sprang out of so many people saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have it in the fall and dress up for the season,’” he said. “It offers us the opportunity to have all kinds of interesting decorations.”
In addition to each establishment’s themed party, the event will once again host a scavenger hunt and a pumpkin poker game where cards are collected at each tour stop visited. A prize is awarded at the end of the night to the person with the best poker hand.
Registration for the event will take place at the Maple Leaf on Arnold Street with a pre-party kick-off where a free appetizer buffet and live music will greet participants.
Dressing the part, Plasse said, is optional, but all guests are encouraged to participate in the spirit of the Haunted Harvest by breaking out their costumes for stops at School Street Bistro, Santiago Family Restaurant, The Maple Leaf, Shenanigans, The Nook, Tommy D’s, Mina’s Wines and Spirits, The Tavern, The Grape Crusher and The City Hotel.
For safety reasons, participants are asked not to wear masks or paint their faces.
“We encourage people to come out in groups and see what everyone else is wearing,” Plasse said.